Electric circuit



P. C. HEWITT.

ELECTRIC CIRCUIT.

APPLICATION FILED IuNE 25.19I3. RENE-WED IuNE Io. I919.

1,328,826. Patented J an. 20, 1920.

FALLING VOLTAG E DEVICE NI/ILNTOR .HW

cgi-MW ATTORI/E UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

PETER COOPER HEWITT, OF RINGWOOD MANOR, NEW JERSEY.

ELECTRIC CIRCUIT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 20, 1920.

Application filed .Tune 25, 1913, Serial No. 775,632. Renewed June 10, 1919. Serial No. 303,251.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I` PETER COOPER HEwrrT, a citizen of the Ilnited States, and resident of Ringwood Manor. county of Passaic, State of New Jersey. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Circuits, of which the following is a specification.

An electric current traversing an ordinary electric circuit tends to vary proportionately withl variations of the impressed electromotive-force. Variations in energy produce mriation's in impedance. and the greater and more rapid the variations, the greater becomes the impedance effect.

In many classes of circuits it is desirable to modify, minimize or avoid such impedance or its effect` as, for instance, in telephone circuits and long lines.

Various means have been devised in an attempt to neutralize, overcome or do away with impedance. The methods and appaf ratus heretofore devised for such purpose have dealt, with a condition where the current flow varies directly with the electromotive-force or applied difference of potential.

My invention is based upon the discovery that a composite circuit may be constructed in which the current iow is not in proportion to the applied electro-n1otive-force,. (as it is in an all-metallic conductor) and in which the resistance of a portion of the composite circuit varies in inverse order to the energy absorbed by impedance. As a result it is possible to produce a circuit wherein the current flow is not directly proportional to the voltage, and the voltage drop .varies less or more than would be the case for the same current variations over the ordinary metallic circuit, and the ratio of energy dis. sip-ated is not the same as in such metallic circuit.

The invention contemplates a composite electrical circuit consisting of members in certain of which the resistance tends to remain constant and is'sounder normal conditions, the current iow tending to vary directly with ,the impressed electro-motiveforce, and another member or members electrically connected therewith wherein the resistance tends to be variable under the infiuence of diiference of energy transmitted and the current passed is not proportional to the voltage. In one member the resistance tends to be constant and the voltage variable with varying current; in the other the r-esistance 1s variable.

The energy dissipating abllity of one member is that of a true conductor, while' the energy dissipating ability of another member follows a different law.

In an electrical system variation of energy dissipation is a function of varying resistance, varying voltage or varying current or any of them.

It follows from this thatgiven a circuit in which the resistance can be varied in some ratio with respect to varying energy, it becomes possible to produce a circuit in which impedance effects such as the inductance and the capacity effects may be given other relative values for ,carrying energy than those of an ordinary circuit consisting simply of a true conductor.

My invention provides for such modification of the characteristics of a circ-uit by inserting atl intervals resistance paths which have the quality of varying in resistance whentransmitting variations of energy. I am able to do this by utilizing the electrical characteristics of certain bodies such, for inf stance. as a conducting gas or vapor as a part of the electrical circuit. Whenl the means consists of a conducting vapor. it may be held in an air-tight vcontainer constructed to secure the essential requirements of gas purity and proper gas or vapor density, and it maybe rareiied as required to be adapted to particular uses to which it is t0 be placed and be modified as to size and shape, and the gas contained as well as have its normal action modified by magnetic'and by electrostatic. action by the electricl energy of the circuit, or be influenced by another circuit.

In certain cases this special conductor may be contained in an independent circuit inductively, electrically 0r electro-magneti- 'cally associated with the principal circuit as,

for instance, by means of a transformer, the main circuit being the primary and the special conductor being included inthe secondary circuit. In other cases, it may be used directly inthe main circuit and connected around an impedance device in the line, or it, may be located directly in the main line and form a part thereof.

In ythe accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a telephone circuit having capacity, inductance, resistance, a source of energy, and vapor devices; rFig. 2 is the same as Fig. l except that the telephone variations are i modification.

ftions, 5.

impressed upon the line inductively; Fig. 3 is a power transmission line; Fig. 4 is a modification of Fig. 3; Fig. -5 illustrates a simple embodiment of the invention herein 5 described and claimed; PFig. 6 shows a hot wire in place of the gas or vapor device, or

rather a device having a falling voltage characteristic appearing in the other figures of vthe drawmg; and Fig. 7 illustrates a .Referring to Fig. 1, l represents a tele- `phone transmitter or other suitable means for varying the currents derived from a battery 2, or other suitable source of currents.

l5 3 represents a receiving device such as a teleof different amounts of energy transmitted,

a `d wherein the current passed is not pro po tional to the voltage, as hereinbefore dcscribed.

In Fig. 2, a source of current is represented at, 2, connected in the circuit, 4, 5. G represents the secondary of an induction coil, the primary of Which is connected through a source of current, 8, with a telephone transmitter or other current varyingdevice,

9, and a receiving device, 10. At some other portion of the circuit a similar transforming` device having its primary', 11, connected in the circuit, 4, 5, and its secondary, 12, connected in a circuit containing another cur- 40 rent-varying device, 9and source, 8, and receiving device, 10, are shown.

In Fig, 3, the circuit, 4, 5, is shown as being grounded at g, g, the earth forming a portion of the return conductor. In this 46 circuit, transformers 6, 7, and 11, 12, are

shown. In connection with the primary, 7, there is shown asource, 13, of alternating or varying currents. The transformer, 11, 12,` has its secondary connected at an4 in- 50 termediate point with one side of a con sumption circuit, 14, containing any desired devices, the other side of the consumption circuit being connected with one terminal of .one electrode of aiyapor device, 15, two

terminals thereof being connected, respectively, with conductors ,leading to the rcspective terminals of the coil, 12.

In Fig.'4, the source, 13, is shown as being connected through primary coils, 16, the

t0 secondary coils, 17, of which are connected through circuits containing vapor devices. 5, Whose resistance varies in the manner 'above described. An additional primary. 1G, is shown.` having` a secondary, 18, the

c; terminals of which are connected through devices, 19, of any desired character, as shown.

In Fig. 5, there is shown a source, 2, of electric currents and a device, 37, for producing variations therein. A conductor from the device, 37, leads through two coils,

34, upon the poles or projections of the poles of a magnet, 35, which varies the voltage drop over the device, Which poles are presented to an. extension, 38, of the vapor device containing an electrode with which the coil, 34, is connected. An electrode, 39, is connected with the return conductor of the first circuit through a receiving device, 40, aHected by variations of current. A keep-alive circuit, 36, of any convenient arrangement is also sho-Wn.

In Fig. 6 a typical circuit is shown in Which is included a source of variation 44, a source of current 45, a receiver' 4G, and a device comprising in this instanceA an inclosed material, 47, the resistance of which has a falling electromotive characteristic. Fig. T shows several of the falling voltage devices 5 connected in series in a closed circuit, but each shunted by a resistance or re- '10 and battery 8 are connected through a coil 7 in inductive relation to a coil 6 in the first named closed circuit. At a distant point a coil 11 is included in this circuit, and this is in inductive relation to a coil 12 connected in series With a receiver 10, a source of current 8 and a transmitter 9.

From the various figures ofthe drawings it will be apparent from the description of the specific-ation, that the possibilities of the application of the invention are extremely varied, but such variations alll rest upon the fundamental device herein described.

On consideration of Ohms equationl in connection with the present system, it must be 'borne in mind that the resistance of the special conductor di'ers from that of the ordinary metallic conductor in that: it may not remain constant With variations of energy so that any or all of the three members in thc equation Cn may become a variable, and as a result any selected one may be made to vary or be a. constant Within limits while any two may vary in different degrees with respect to each other. Owing to these possibilities the energy radiated or dissipated from a portion of the circuit may be given many values Within Wide limits. i

It will be understood that in the equation C=7v thel character VC represents current strength, V, voltage or electr-emotive force, and R, resistance.

lThus the characteristices of a circuit consisting essentially of a normal or true conductor, such as copper, may 'be modiied cal resistance phenomena may be modifiedv by electromagnetic and electrostatic influence, including certain phenomena at the positive end of a conducting vapor or gas. These modifications are more pronounced at low densities'. As an illustration, if a magnet be approached near a vapor device passing current, thev vvoltage required to pass unit current will be increased and the voltage required to pass current may diminish as the current increases, and the device may have a falling voltage characteristic. Under these conditions, the voltage required to pass unit current-and, therefore, the apparent reslstance--Will be increased in'some dlrect proportion as the magnetic effect is 41nc'reased, and will be decreased in some direct 'rent through the devioe, by modification of the magnetic force by the current, and also v,by the resistance varying inversely with the variable resistance, of

current passed. Suh' the added member i vitself essentially most unstable and may require in circuit withit, certain features of impedance presentedV by a true` conductor, and the ratioof the voltage drop over these may be `made of such relative value as to produce the required result s, and in clrcuits may be had by suitably posltioning the variable resistance devices lin the line so that the line presents such im- The effect of the` reverse connection of the coil on'the magnet is obvious, and the illustration, is suflicent to show how to render useful, in like manner, many of the charac.- teristic local phenomena manifest in different partsof a conducting vapor.

These results are also very serviceable for causing one circuit to act on another for ytransferring corresponding variations from one circuit to another and-giving the variations a different value. l

By means of my discovery it is possible toi modify or to` compensate for the effects of capacity or inductance in a circuit, or both,

resulting from energyy variations and so modify the impedin effects of these. factors in ,circuits of consi erable length; inother words, by adding to the energy consuming abil-ity of a true conducting circuit, resist- Aance of' a different value and characteristics a-ndl thereby modifying the characteristics .f'tending to produce impedance or impair 'ave forms.

A characteristic of a vapor device of vari- .able resistance, is that the capacity and inductance effects are 0f very different order from those which are inherent in a true conductor. I propose using this phenomenon in connection with a true metallicy circuit, ,and this one feature of thepresent I claimas my invention: i A

l. T he combination of a device having a Variable resistance, magnetic means external thereto for increasing' its resistance 'and means for utilizing this increased resistance by diminishin means in inverse ratio to the current How through the resistance.

2'. The combination'of a device normally having a resistance characteristic other than that of' atrue conductoigmagnetic means for 'increasing its initial resistance and means lf or'utilizing this additional range of reslstance for occasioning a fall of electromotive force in response to an increased fl'ovv of current through the resistance.

3. The method of producing and ut1lizing the falling electromotive characteristic of a conductor which consists in magnetically raising the resistance of the conductor and utilizing the excess of resistance as a field of falling electromotive-force responsive to increased current therethrough.

4. The method of utilizing the falling electromotive-force characteristics'of a coninvention. I

the effect ofthe external ioo ing an inherent falling. electromotive-force y characteristic in said circuit, magnetic means for imparting an additional resistance there-v to, and means for'varying the effect thereof coincidently and inversely With the variations of the resistance of the conductor;

6. A composite electric circuit comprising a section in which the current flow is .approximately proportional to Ythe Iapplied electromotive force. and a section in |,which the current flow is inversely proportional in -some degree to the applied electromotive force, magnetic means for increasing -its initial resistance, and means for utilizmg this additional range of resistance for occasioning a fall of electromotive-force in response to an increased ,flowzof current' therethrough.

7. In a telephone system, the combination of a ltransmitting device, a receiving device and a'connecting circuit consisting in part of a metalli-c conductor and inpart of a device having a falling voltage characteristic, magnetic means for increasing its initial resistance, and means for' utilizing this additional range of resistance Jfor occasioning a fall of electromotive force in response to an increased flow of current therethrough.

8. In an electrical system, a gas or vapor electric device, means for passing current through the same, and means for affecting the device by magnetic force and for causing the said force to be diminished by increased current flow through said device.

9. In an electrical system including device having a falling voltage characteristie, the method of increasing the falling voltage characteristic, Which consists in apl therethrough.

l1. In'an electrical system, the combination with a translating device, of magnetic means for increasing the electromotive force required to pass current `throughthe device and for decreasing the required electromotive force in response to an increased current flow therethrough. y

12. In an electrical system including a device having affalling voltage characteristic, the method of controlling the current flow therein, which consists in affecting the said device by magnetic force and causing the action of the magnetic force to be diminished by increased current flow in said device. 13. In an electrical system including a device having a falling voltage characteristic, the method of increasing the falling voltage characteristic which consists in aecting the device by magnetic force and decreas-l ing the said force by increased current flow through said device.

14. In an electric system including a source of variation, a magnet coil, a permanent magnet around the poles of which-thesaid coil is wound, and a gas or vapor electric device inseries with a source of variation and the magnet coil and means for keeping `the said device alive, the poles of the permanent magnet being placed in operative proximity to the gas or vapor device.

1,5.y In an electrical system, the method of operation Which consists in 'varying-cub' rent in the said system, creating magnetic force in the system, causing the said inagnetic force to act upon a local path of falling electromotiveforce, thereby producing a .dropof resistance in said local path.

Signed at New York lin the county of New Yonk and State of New York this 20th day of June A. D 1913.

PETER COOPER HEWITT. Witnesses:

ALEXANDER yBEeG, CHARLES A. TERRY. 

